A very early multiplayer/sim title, one that launched an empire: Electronic Arts
This title was created by Dan Bunten as a multiplayer game that incorporated a real-time auction feature which was a great aspect in this game as it added a feature that was incredibly immersive. Gameplay consisted of four players in which you could play alone with three AI competitors or have up to three additional buddies play with you.
The graphics, of course, are crude by today's standards but were fairly above-board considering the time period and the capabilities of the systems they were on. The music was catchy [and infectious] and the sounds were done nicely.
Although this game is credited only as a multiplayer, I believe that's possibly only because the "sim" title might not have been around just yet. In playing M.U.L.E., you had to essentially become a land mogul, expanding upon your acreage and dealing with turmoil and blight. It was quite challenging to keep your little neck of the woods running and in full operation, to say the least. Think of a crude, lite version of StarCraft without the violence.
The game was considered one of the best games in history, even having sold a miniscule 30,000 copies. The reason for that small number is that the game [EA's first title] wasn't copy protected so it was easily duplicated onto additional 5.25" floppy disks and therefore highly pirated.
Most anyone that's been around a while as a gamer has likely played M.U.L.E. If you haven't seen it, it would be worth trying to dig up a ROM of the game to check out an historical title that made a lot of things as they are today. Dan Bunten was a master and has been recognized and awarded for his [and later her] achievements to gamedom [Dan Bunten became Dani Berry in the early 90s]. It's quite sad that she perished in 1998 as she surely had so much more to contribute, but like any great "master", they're seemingly gone before their time.
Read more at
http://mule.eichberger.net/about.php
There are links provided there w/more history on Dan & Dani and the games created by them.